Parliament Hill in Ottawa was ablaze with orange shirts and ribbon skirts as people gathered on a nearly perfect autumn day.
It was a scene that was reflected in other cities across the country.
From the mid-1800s to the late 1900s, more than 150,000 children were forced to attend church-run, government-funded schools.
Thousands suffered physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Historians estimate that about 6,000 native children died. However, some experts say the number could be much higher.
In Ottawa, Canada’s Governor General, Mary Simon, who is Indigenous, was one of the leaders to speak.
"Today we commemorate the thousands of lives forever lost or traumatically impacted by the residential school system," said Simon. "We honor the resilience of survivors who continue to bravely share their stories so that we may learn in their stories there is unspeakable pain. But there is also tremendous courage and determination to emerge into healing and light."
The Ottawa ceremony was one of many across Canada to mark Truth and Reconciliation Day, which officially began in 2021. It was one of the calls to action in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Only 11 of the 94 calls to action have been implemented.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to Inuvik in the North West Territories to attend truth and reconciliation events.
As one political leader put it, reconciliation isn’t about politics, but justice.